Quarry Bank fraudster trashed £250,000 home after duping owners into thinking she was a millionairess

A 22-YEAR-OLD Quarry Bank woman pretended she had well over £1million in the bank to buy a smart, detached house in Kingswinford which she trashed before being rumbled.

The con by fraudster Bethany Pole left the owners of the £250,000 Moss Grove property in serious financial difficulties and in the end it was repossessed - Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Pole was allowed to move into the house, which has a conservatory, on a rental basis as she claimed she had to leave her current home.

She was given the keys before the sale was completed after agreeing to pay £900 a month rent - Edward Soulsby, prosecuting, said.

When her cheques began to bounce she was asked to provide documentary evidence that she had savings and she then produced a statement from HSBC bank which showed there was over £1million in her account.

But the estate agents handling the sale of the property became suspicious and when they went to investigate with the bank they discovered there were no savings.

Pole was immediately asked to leave the property but when she had gone items were found to be missing, there were bags of rubbish strewn about and an £8,000 floor had been ripped up, said Mr Soulsby.

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He told the court: "The property was in an entirely different state from when she moved in.

"The latest information is that as a result of her not finding the money the owners could not keep up the mortgage payments.

"The Bank have repossessed the house and it has now been sold against their interests."

Pole, of Old High Street, Quarry Bank, admitted dishonestly making a representation that she had sufficient funds to buy the Moss Grove house.

She further admitted making an article for use in fraud - a forged bank statement - and she was remanded on bail by Judge Martin Walsh for a pre-sentence report.

Mr Soulsby said it was a "strange case" because Pole approached the owners of the property through their estate agents and offered to buy the house.

She told them she had been left a "substantial" amount of money and the sale price was then agreed between the parties.

But Pole then said she had to leave her current home and asked if she could move into Moss Grove before the completion of contracts.

She agreed to pay the £900 a month in rent but no rental agreement was drawn up - the parties simply exchanged emails, Mr Soulsby said.

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But when the rent cheques bounced the sale of the property "slowed down" and it was then that Pole came up with the bogus bank statement after being asked to provide evidence she had sufficient funds in the bank.

Pole was remanded on bail until March 18 when it is expected the report will be completed and she will be sentenced.

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